South Korea left the World Cup in turmoil after the team's quick elimination drew heavy criticism from the country's president, who called coach Hong Myung-bo “incapable,” while South Korea media reported the coach had already quit.
South Korea won its opening match against Czech Republic, then lost its next two Group A matches to South Africa and Mexico.
South Korea hoped it would qualify for the next round as one of the third-place teams to advance in this year's expanded tournament. That ended when Congo defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 on Saturday.
The quick exit for a team that expected to advance prompted harsh criticism from President Lee Jae Myung, who called for a complete review of the national team program.
“As a former honorary professional football club chairman and, at heart, a member of the Red Devils, I feel not just surprise but deep bewilderment at this unexpected result," the president said in a lengthy statement critical of national team structure and oversight and coach Myung-bo's appointment in the first place.
“Once again, it has been proven that personnel decisions determine everything. If loyalty and factionalism are valued over competence and an incapable person is appointed as a leader, the outcome is as predictable as fire,” the president said.
Hong, 57, was in his second stint with the national team. He was the coach at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when South Korea also failed to advance past the group stage.
South Korea is a regular at the World Cup with 11 consecutive appearances, and was a semifinalist when it was co-host of the tournament in 2002.
President Myung called for the national Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to review the national team and its failures.
"I sincerely apologize to the public for the deep disappointment caused by this absurd situation. We will move swiftly to reform sports administration to ensure this does not happen again,” Myung said.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
These days, life can feel like it has been turned upside-down. What was relied upon as norma… Read moreInspirational Talk - “A Spiritual Revolution: The Quest to Experience God”
Expedia Cruises invites you to experience travel at its most refined. From intimate wildlife… Read moreElite Explorers Expo
Be a winemaker for an evening and craft your own Bordeaux-style blend. Read moreIntroduction to Wine Blending
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.